Madison Bumgarner is getting more expensive by the day

Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner hugs Bruce Bochy during a ceremony honoring Bochy after he managed his final game with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

As baseball’s stove gets hot:

• If there’s a scouting report or analytical presentation that claims Zack Wheeler has more value than Madison Bumgarner, something is wrong. Wheeler has had three seasons wrecked by arm problems, he’ll match Bumgarner’s age (30) in May, and his track record doesn’t even register against one of the iconic pitchers of recent years.

As soon as Wheeler agreed to sign with the Phillies — five years, $118 million — we most likely learned the minimum deal required to sign Bumgarner. It probably will take considerably more. Which makes it even more of a long shot that Bumgarner re-signs with the Giants, who are building a roster to gain clarity two or three years from now.

Here’s a question, though: Now that the most desirable-looking destination has been removed from Bumgarner’s list (Atlanta chose the cheaper Cole Hamels), where does he go? The Yankees mean a move to New York. The Twins and White Sox reportedly are making a push, but can you picture him in either place? Anywhere? He’s one of those Forever Giants, and it will be a blow to see him depart.

• Beyond the home runs, the clutch hits, the defensive plays and the Willie Mac Award, this is the No. 1 thing to remember about Kevin Pillar: He’s a free agent after the coming season. That automatically rules him out of Farhan Zaidi’s blueprint, and by the middle of summer, it’s unlikely Pillar will have a single regret over leaving San Francisco. Best to hope that Steven Duggar can take hold of the center-field job; he’s capable. Even better to know that predicting the Giants’ 2020 outfield is a matter of pure guesswork.

• If Zaidi is really going to be bold, with a side of ruthless, he’ll trade Brandon Belt before the onset of spring. It’s time. This column would love to see him at Yankee Stadium, reacting with great delight as his routine flyballs sail into the right-field porch.

• Good to know the Giants have taken interest one of the game’s most dynamic outfielders, Nicholas Castellanos, who hit .321 with 16 homers in 51 games after being traded from the Tigers to the Cubs. He’s got a ton of presence, too. Interesting, though, to hear his take on a prevailing trend in the game:

“They have these analytics that come out of nowhere that are supposed to predict how players are going to do and what they are going to do before they do it,” Castellanos told USA Today. “They have WAR, but when I talk to people on the MLB Network and other places, and ask how they come up with it, they have no idea. ... You can’t value the centerpiece in the clubhouse. Someone with the same WAR is not going to provide the same thing. And whoever says it is the same has not played, endured, been in a clubhouse, or ridden the ebbs and flows of the game.’’

Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has been a sports columnist since 1989. He has covered 27 World Series, 19 Wimbledons and many other major events, including the Super Bowl, World Cup soccer, NBA Finals, four major golf tournaments and U.S. Open tennis championships.

He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies in 1971.